Sources for More Information

Bulletin #34: How to Fund Community Forestry

The topic of funding is ever-changing, especially in the state and federal sectors. The best source of current information is the community forestry coordinator in your state. For contact information in your state, visit the Community Forestry Directory.

Writing Grant Proposals

Before writing a grant proposal for the first time, or if you are trying to improve your skills in this important area of raising funds, here are two excellent Web sites to visit:

The “How-to” of Fundraising

There is a lot of expertise involved in successfully raising funds. Look at these tips from development expert Tony Poderis.

Costs and Benefits of Community Trees

Facts about the benefits and services provided by trees are necessary in order to make a convincing argument for support. An excellent source of research-based information and presentation aides can be found at the USDA Forest Service’s Center for Urban Forestry.

Alliance for Community Trees (ACT)

Contact information for this organization as described on page 8 of Bulletin 34:

Forest Service Support for Community Forestry

Although specific programs that help fund community forestry change and continue to evolve, here is some general information about current Forest Service policy, as provided by the Forest Service, that should be helpful as you develop partnerships with this key government agency:

Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) is a cooperative program of the US Forest Service that focuses on the stewardship of urban natural resources. With 80 percent of the nation’s population in urban areas, there are strong environmental, social and economic cases to be made for the conservation of green spaces to guide growth and revitalize city centers and older suburbs. UCF responds to the needs of urban areas by maintaining, restoring, and improving urban forest ecosystems on more than 70 million acres. Through these efforts the program encourages and promotes the creation of healthier, more livable urban environments.

UCF provides technical, financial, research and educational services to local government, nonprofit organizations, community groups, educational institutions, and tribal governments. The program is delivered through its legislative partners, the state forestry agencies in 59 states and US territories.

The goal of the Urban and Community Program is to provide technical and financial assistance to help improve the livability of cities and communities through managing urban forest resources to promote a healthy ecosystem.

Objectives:

Provide technical and financial assistance.

Strengthen Forest Service and state leadership in the care of urban and community forest resources.

Increase transfer of technical information.

Increase awareness and education about the importance of healthy urban forest resources.

Promote volunteerism and citizen participation.

Ensure urban greening efforts are biologically sound and sustainable.

Forest Service cooperative programs are currently being redesigned to make more effective use of federal resources. Programs will be focused on issues and landscapes of national importance and prioritized through state and regional assessments. Over the next five years an increasing percentage of funding will be focused on the landscape-scale projects.

A Word on Interconnected Systems:

Urban forests, through planned connections of green spaces, form the green infrastructure system on which communities depend. Green infrastructure works at multiple scales form the neighborhood to the metro area up to the regional landscape. This natural life support system sustains clean air and water, biodiversity, habitat, nesting and travel corridors for wildlife, and connects people to nature.

More Information

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